Page 37 of He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

‘Nobody asked you,’ Tristan barks.

I’ve never seen him like this. He looks rabid. Eyes glazed over. Shirt half untucked. Absolute anger oozes from him. He’s in trouble with the school, and he’s losing it.

‘Let’s go.’ Tristan reaches for my arm again, but before he can grab me, Dax swings, hitting him in the face with his fist and knocking him to the ground.

‘Oh my god,’ I say with a heavy breath. ‘Dax.’

Tristan groans, sitting up, his nose now bleeding. ‘Thisis what you want? A scrappy punk?’

I glance at Dax, tears in my eyes. I can’t believe he just did that. I take another step, now practically standing behind him, in case Tristan tries anything else. Dax grabs my hand, giving me the courage to say what I need to say.

‘You came here without an invitation, Tristan. Stole thousands of dollars from me. Cheated so many times I can’t count them, and you proposed to someone else. You destroyed me. We have nothing to talk about. I was just your back-up girl until you met someone more marry-able. Your words. Remember?’

He laughs to himself, but it sounds a hint unhinged. I’ve never feared Tristan until right now but the sudden echo of sirens headed in our direction makes him visibly panic. He jumps up, running for his car. Dax takes one step and knocks him back to the ground, grabbing his keys that fly across the sidewalk.

‘You’re not leaving here in this condition; you could kill someone,’ Dax growls.

The police fly in, running from their cars. One straddles Tristan, the other grabs Dax and shoves him against his car.

‘Not him!’ I yell, running towards Dax. ‘He didn’t do anything wrong. You can’t arrest him.’

‘Ma’am, step back unless you want to be arrested too,’ an officer commands.

‘Hollyn, listen to him,’ Dax says.

‘No! They can’t blame you for this.Heattacked me.’ I point to Tristan. ‘Daxsavedme.’ I touch Dax’s shoulder. ‘Dad?’ I glance back at my father for help.

It takes us a few minutes but eventually we sort things out, and the officer removes the cuffs from Dax’s wrists. We spend the next twenty minutes going over everything with the police and I agree to press charges, so they haul Tristan away to sleep it off with the instructions that he will be on the next flight home.

As the police drive away, Tristan in the back seat staring me down, I practically collapse on the curb because the anxiety in my chest is suffocating me and I suddenly need a break. I focus on my breathing as Dax sits down next to me, leaning his shoulder into mine.

‘You’re stronger than you think you are, Hols. You did the right thing.’

9

DAX

Later That Night – Back at the Apartment…

‘I’m so sorry,’ Hollyn says again when we walk into my apartment.

This is about the thirteenth sorry since we left her parents’ place. When the door’s closed, she locks all three locks.

‘I never expected him to—’

‘I know, Hols,’ I interrupt her. ‘We’re good. It’s not the first fight I’ve been in.’

Although it’s the first time I’ve been cuffed and nearly arrested for it. Tristan tried to press charges, but once the police realized he was beyond wasted and had put his hands on Hollyn, they decided charges weren’t warranted. At least not towards me.

I knew the moment he grabbed her arm, by the sheer terror on her face, he’d never done that to her before. Thank god. Her fear triggered something inside me that I hadn’t felt since high school. I couldn’t let him hurt her.

Hollyn walks across the apartment, my jacket still hanging over her shoulders. Slowly she pulls it off, tossing it to the ottoman and dropping onto the couch.

‘What would he have done if he’d have got me into his car?’ she asks, her eyes wide. ‘What if he doesn’t go home? What if he comes here?’ She glances at the door, getting up to check the locks.

I stop her, my hand on her wrist. ‘You’re safe here, Hols. I’d never let anything happen to you. If Tristan walks through that door at any point, they’ll be the last steps he ever takes.’

She forces a crooked smile.

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